6 VPN services so easy even your mother could use

If your mother is anything like mine, then the idea of persuading and teaching her to use a VPN might sound extremely far-fetched.

Many older people tend to approach anything IT-related rather like a bomb disposal expert approaches a ticking suitcase with wires sticking out.

They assume that online security solutions are too difficult to use and they don’t need one anyway because they just surf the internet a bit and check their emails.

But if anything, the main reasons for using a VPN apply to older internet users even more than the rest of us. Hackers often perceive them as wealthy yet easy prey and deluge them with fraudulent emails and dodgy links.

Fortunately, there are a lot of VPNs out there that offer extremely intuitive and easy-to-use apps which can often be connected with a single click.

But don’t be put off by all the Mother analogies in this article though. The 6 VPN services listed are suitable for all users, they’re just some of the easier ones to use.

So, if you are worried about the online security and privacy of your Mother or any older family member or you’re a bit of a technophobe and just want an easy to use VPN, this article is for you.

We have identified the top 6 VPN services that, yes, even your Mother could use.

How to choose a mother-proof VPN

There are literally thousands of VPN providers out there and pretty much all of them claim to be the best and easiest-to-use on the market. So, where to start?

To begin with, there are a few main features you can look out for:

Easy-to-use apps – Some VPN apps can be rather complicated to set up, but others less so. For your Mother, you want to look out for apps that offer a simple and clean design and enable all of the main features to be accessed easily.

Single Click Connect – A great feature offered by some VPN providers is the ability to connect with a single click. If your Mother really is worried about using such tools, this is a great feature. All she has to do is open the app, click connect, and everything happens automatically.

Live Help – You can’t be looking over your mother’s shoulder every second she’s online. So, if something does go wrong, the availability of easy-to-access tech support is a great help. Quite a few VPNs now offer 24/7 live chat support, so all your Mother has to do is type in her problem and they will help her solve it.

Strong encryption and privacy protections – Ease-of-use is important, but you don’t want this to come at the expense of security and privacy protections. So, while looking for user-friendly providers, make sure their encryption and privacy policies are up to scratch too.

Here at VPNCompare.co.uk, we have used these criteria to test the VPN market for the best mother-proof VPNs.

Our search has returned six VPN providers which tick all these boxes and offer plenty more besides. Here is our rundown of the six VPNs even your Mother can use:

1) CyberGhost VPN – the best beginners VPN

CyberGhost is hands-down the best VPN around for beginners right now. Their apps are beautifully designed and there is no set-up required. You just open the app, log-in, and off you go.

CyberGhost offers a single-click connection, so just by clicking one button your Mother will be protected. What’s more, their encryption is as strong as anything on the market right now and they also guarantee privacy with a no user logs policy too.

Their Live Chat help desk is available 24/7 and their app has a number of special features specifically aimed at beginners, including offering server suggestions depending on what you are using their service for.

CyberGhost offers 7 simultaneous connections and a huge 45-day money-back guarantee which means your Mother will have a month and a half to see if she can use their service before she has to part with any money.

Price: CyberGhost VPN charges in Euro and currently costs €3,50 a month for an 18-month subscription. That’s £3.11 a month at current conversion rates.

2) ExpressVPN – powerful but simple to use

ExpressVPN is the best all-round VPN on the market right now. But despite its host of powerful features, it is also extremely simple to set up and use.

Once you have downloaded their app and logged in, you can connect to the nearest available server with a single click. After that, you don’t have to do anything else.

ExpressVPN offers some of the fastest connections around which is ideal if your Mother likes streaming TV shows. You can leave ExpressVPN running in the background and it will have no adverse effect on performance.

They also offer a great 24/7 live chat facility if your Mother does run into trouble, while their 30-day money-back guarantee should give her plenty of time to try things out before she buys.

Price: ExpressVPN is currently offering 15 months of service for the price of 12 meaning they cost just $6.67 a month or £5.19 a month at current conversion rates.

3) IPVanish – Great apps and top-notch all-round

IPVanish is another provider that manages to combine a terrific all-round service with apps that are well-designed and easy-to-use.

Their encryption and privacy policies are up there with the best, while their connection speeds continue to outperform most too. They are not always the best at unblocking streaming sites, but for many older users that will not be a concern.

The real strong-point of IPVanish is their apps which are available on most devices, intuitively designed, and include the single-click connect features many older users crave.

With 10 simultaneous connections, your Mother can use IPVanish on all her devices and while their money-back guarantee only extends to 7-days, this should still be sufficient for most older users to decide whether or not IPVanish is the VPN for them.

Price: IPVanish’s annual package costs $6.49 a month or £5.05 a month at current conversion rates.

4) NordVPN – Lots of features, but still easy to use

NordVPN offers one of the most comprehensive feature ranges of any major provider. But don’t let that put you off. Most of these features are optional and their apps are still extremely easy to use.

They are another provider to offer a single-click connect feature and having recently incorporated their SmartPlay technology into all servers, your Mother will be able to stream content from overseas with a single click too.

Their encryption and privacy policies are first class and NordVPN customers can also enjoy up to six simultaneous connections too.

In addition to a big 30-day money-back guarantee, NordVPN also offers some of the most affordable prices on the market too, especially if you choose one of their longer deals.

Price: A 2-year deal with NordVPN comes in at just $3.99 a month or around £3.10 a month at current rates.

5) VyprVPN – Try before you buy

While most VPNs offer a decent money-back guarantee, VyprVPN has decided to buck the trend by offering a free-trial instead meaning you can use their service for three days without any money being taken off your credit card details.

For many older users, this option brings much-needed peace-of-mind.

In addition to this, VyprVPN is also a great all-round VPN provider. Their encryption and privacy policies are sound and as one of the few VPNs that own all of their server network, your Mother’s online security and privacy is even safer than most.

Their apps, which are available for most devices, offer a neat user-friendly design and include a single-click connect feature.

They also allow 5 simultaneous connections while their customer support includes a much-vaunted 24/7 live chat facility.

Price: VyprVPN will set you back £4.79 a month if you choose their top tier package for a 12-month subscription.

6) HideMyAss – Lighthearted and helpful apps

If your Mother has a good sense of humour then HideMyAss might be the VPN for her.

Their humorous graphics and light-hearted approach helps to put their users at ease and together with other beginner-friendly features makes HideMyAss another strong contender.

Its apps are beautifully-designed and include the single-click feature beginners’ value so highly. They are available on almost all devices and you can have up to 5 simultaneous connections with each account too. They offer round-the-clock customer support as well.

HideMyAss is unique among the main VPN providers in offering a long free trial. You can try their service for up to 30-days with no money being debited off your card and you can cancel at any time if not satisfied.

The one downside to HideMyAss is their slightly questionable privacy protections. But, as long as your Mother isn’t peddling drugs on the dark web and just wants to secure her internet connection, they still have plenty to offer.

Price: For their 12-month package, HideMyAss will cost you £4.99 a month.

Which VPN should your mother choose?

All of our recommended VPNs have different pro’s and con’s, so the final choice that you or she makes should depend on the sort of things she tends to do online.

See if you can spot your Mother’s usage habits below which will guide you in the right direction of which VPN to choose.

Quick and Simple: If like my mother, simplicity is the most important thing and she just needs to be able to get connected as quickly and easily then CyberGhost is definitely the right VPN for her.

Streaming TV: Perhaps your mother is the sort of girl who likes to binge-watch all the soaps or catch up on episodes of Loose Women that she missed. If so, you want to choose ExpressVPN which unblocks most services and offers great speeds.

Online shopping: If your Mother has discovered the joys of online shopping and is splurging your inheritance on designer handbags and shoes, NordVPN offers the best security protections.

Combating paranoia: Some older people apparently read the Daily Mail and therefore think of the internet as a virtual wild-west filled with hackers’ intent on stealing their pensions. While this isn’t completely true, to combat such paranoia, a secure VPN like IPVanish will be the best bet.

In Summary: Now your mother is secure

Getting your Mother (or your non-techie self) set up with a VPN is definitely worth the effort. The security and privacy protections a VPN offers are essential and everyone, even your Mother, needs to stay safe online.

In this article, we have tried to make things as easy as possible. We have researched the main VPN providers and identified six providers which offer great features for beginners and older users who may be less computer-literate.

We have also suggested which VPNs might be best for your Mother depending on what she likes to do online.

Mothers are always hard to buy for at Christmas. But while a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine might seem like a safe bet, if you want to give her something really useful, why not sign her or yourself up for a VPN!

About The Author

David is VPNCompare's News Editor. Anything going on in the privacy world and he's got his eye on it. He's also interested in unblocking sports allowing him to watch his favourite football team wherever he is in the world. Away from writing, he enjoys reading and politics. He is currently learning Mandarin too... slowly.